Grant: New Investigator Salary Award - PA: Pediatric Respiratory System (SHOPP)

Every year up to one hundred children are born in Canada with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Previous research from my group has shown that the abnormal lung development associated with the diaphragmatic defect is responsible for the poor outcome in these babies. Although survival of these babies has improved significantly over the last few decades, the intensive medical treatment, required to achieve this improved survival, results in long term damage to the lungs. At present doctors have a poor understanding of why and how the abnormal lung development occurs in babies with CDH. This knowledge is important if you want to improve or modulate the abnormal lung development. Recently, microRNAs (small pieces of nucleic acid) have emerged as an important new class of regulators of gene expression during cancer and organ development. Our preliminary results identified one of these microRNAs: miR-200b, to be important for normal lung development. More importantly, miR-200b expression is changed during abnormal lung development due to CDH. My research program aims to improve our understanding of abnormal lung development in babies with CDH. I want to develop the MIRACLA research program that will study microRNA and congenital lung abnormalities. With the results of these novel studies we will potentially be able to design targeted (prenatal) therapies to modulate the natural course of lung development in these babies. This should eventually result in improved outcomes.